The mental burnout of the past year and a half hit me hard recently, and I began seeking out resources to help me overcome the languishing feeling I was experiencing. In doing so, I listened to a Happy Not Perfect podcast where host Poppy Jamie talked with Carl Honoré about the slow revolution and his book, In Praise of Slowness.

As I listened to them discuss the cult of speed and how our society relishes in hustle culture and no days off, I started to think that was exactly what I needed. To slow down. I immediately ordered the book.

Three chapters in and I was reading about food and slowing down the pace at which we not only eat, enjoy and take pleasure in dining, but also the pace at which food is produced and how it is damaging our planet.

There was one quote in particular that stuck out with me enough to fold over the page: "one of the most beautiful things in life is taking the time to sit round the table with friends and family to enjoy really good food and wine."

A few days later, while partaking in my daily Instagram scroll, I stopped to read the caption on a post by one of my favorite accounts, Italy Segreta. The first line, in all caps: "LIFE IS BEST ENJOYED AROUND THE TABLE, our life secret is that simple!" The photos accompanying the post displaying various tables across Italy with the people enjoying being around them.

I stopped scrolling and started to think more about this. Some of the things I enjoy most involve sitting at a table of some sort. A cup of coffee and a book outside at a local coffee shop. Dinner on a work trip with colleagues. Happy hour drinks with girlfriends. Cooking a meal and sitting down to savor the flavors. Breakfast that isn't rushed or eaten on the run. Visiting my family back in Michigan and sitting 8 of us at one table for a meal. Solo dining across Europe and the US.

Yet here I was, almost 33 years old, and I did not own, have never owned, a dining table in my entire adult life. I started shopping.

The day my table was delivered I was giddy with excitement. I had built up so much anticipation about getting to make myself breakfast and sit at my own table while drinking coffee every morning. About how much more I would savor the dinners I cooked for myself (and others who visited). About having a proper place to sit during the day while I work from home.

Would it live up to my expectations? That and then some.

I am not low key obsessed, I am high key obsessed, with my new setup. Walking into my kitchen and seeing my table and chairs and how I've styled it all still brings a huge smile to my face well over a month later. I look forward to sitting down every day, slowing down for that brief moment, to truly enjoy sitting at my table.